Mariners Moose Tracks, 5/2/24: Brad Smith, Dom Smith, and Grayson Rodriguez
Could John Stanton be transitioning out of the ownership group, or are they just adding some more investors?
Hello everyone! It’s another Mariners off-day...though it is their only one for the next two weeks. While they get a much-deserved day of rest, here’s some news and stories you can catch up on.
In Mariners news...
- The biggest news for the Mariners is that Microsoft president Brad Smith and his wife Kathy Surace-Smith have joined the Mariners ownership group, making them the first additions to the unit since 2021 when Ken Griffey, Jr. came aboard.
- Jeff Passan appeared on 710 ESPN Seattle to discuss what the Mariners should do with Emerson Hancock once Bryan Woo is ready to be activated from the injured list.
- Here’s your fun Mariners fact of the day from Alex Mayer.
Jorge Polanco homered off Reynaldo López tonight. Polanco’s first-ever PA as a pro in the U.S. came against a DIFFERENT pitcher named Reinaldo López on July 5, 2010. Bonus: @Mariners pitching coach Pete Woodworth closed out López’ first W that year for the GCL Rays. #TheMayerGWS
— Alex Mayer (@alexmayer34) May 1, 2024
Around the league...
- The Red Sox have agreed to a one-year deal with outfielder and first baseman Dom Smith.
- Bring Him Home? — Mike Ford has triggered his opt-out clause with the Reds, giving them 48 hours to call him up or cut him.
- Another one bites the dust — star Orioles righty Grayson Rodriguez is hitting the injured list with shoulder inflammation.
- The Mariners find themselves in rare territory — in first place in the division as April turns to May. Sarah Langs dives into the numbers behind what’s happening in the standings so far this year.
- Davy Andrews at Fangraphs wonders what’s going on with Alex Bregman’s power outage so far this season.
- On the pitching side for Houston, Michael Baumann at Fangraphs investigates the cause of Josh Hader’s tough start to the year.
- Congratulations to the Big Maple!
In 2018, “Big Maple” James Paxton became the first Canadian pitcher to throw a no-hitter in Canada. He played for the AirHogs in the independent American Association before being drafted by the Mariners in 2010. Now 35 years old, he has logged over 850 innings as a starter.… pic.twitter.com/BeEHQQS1ys
— MLBPA (@MLBPA) April 30, 2024
Anders’ picks...
- LinkedIn is absolutely feral.
Linkedin cannot be real pic.twitter.com/tT2GlqlzOf
— Avi (@avighnash) May 1, 2024